Ccino gets an up-do

Let me start out by saying that Cappuccino loves to be groomed. He demands to be groomed. He hops up on the futon and starts howling. That’s our cue to pick up a brush and get started. Larry uses a plastic comb, the type that used to cost a nickle in the 5-and-dime store. He holds it at a slight angle and it gently pulls out the loose fur. He loves to be groomed, but he squirms a little bit. Okay, a lot. So Ccino is getting an up-do in this picture. Grooming session must be almost over.

Rainbow Canyon

We headed out to the desert with the intention of visiting the Salton Sea, but halfway into the trip we decided that the inner desert was quite hot and chose to find a hike in the Anza Borrego area. We had stumbled on Box canyon last time and decided to take more time exploring Rainbow canyon. This picture shows how the canyon got its name with the swirled sediments, pegmatite and granite veins.

Many cactus are flowering in early May after the modest winter rain showers. Shown here in the foreground is a flowering nipple cactus. Additionally, many barrel cactus were shining their halo of yellow bloom. Hedgehog cactus with its lower profile was making itself obvious with its bright magenta flowers.

I’m not sure where aspargus is grown in California, but it’s not in this desert. This is the beginning of the agave’s flower stalk. Already, this flower’s stalk was twelve feet tall. On this day, we saw stalks with white flowers and for the first time, yellow flowers.

Mirror, mirror

Mirror, mirror on the floor, who’s the cat we all adore? So all the pictures are down off the wall. The scuff marks have been painted. Where shall I hang the mirror again? I’ve been reading about Feng Shui and mirror placement is really scary. Don’t want to magnify a negative. In the meantime, the mirror is propped against the wall on the floor. The cats are happy to have access to the mirror. Cappuccino is happy to have his little friend back. He sits in front of the mirror, never quite looking directly at his reflection. He sings or howls or yowls his greetings or musings. That’s a positive I like doubling.

Roses on the streets of Little Italy

The 22nd Annual ArtWalk in Little Italy was this weekend. Recently, I had removed all the pictures from our walls. They were from travels on the East coast and we felt it was time to add some new West coast influence. While there were some beautiful works by artists, there was nothing that really resonated with us. The local Blick art store probably did a nice business with people who were more inspired by the display of creativity.
On India street, this man was weaving roses from a palm frond. It was amazing to watch him split the large frond and rapidly fold and spin the material into a beautiful rose.

Easter Finest

Happy Easter! It’s spring and time to put on your Easter finest. This male peacock (females are called peahens) was displaying his finest in front of the lower flamingo pool. He put on a show for more than 15 minutes, arching his feathers and shaking his auburn tail feathers.

Several peacocks roam the grounds (it’s ironic that a group of them are called a “pride”) and are rather tame around people. It’s not appropriate to reach out and touch its feathers, but you can walk within 6 feet of the bird without it getting upset.

Earth Day WorldFest

It was a chilly and inspiring day at the Los Angeles WorldFest on Saturday.

I learned from the bio-beetle guy that no modifications were made to his VW diesel beetle. Bio-diesel is a solvent which will break up sediment. After the second tankful, I would need to change the fuel filter to clear out the deposits. Just about 3 more years on my warranty, then I can switch to bio-diesel (VW does not honor it; invalidates the warranty).
Short-haired dogs sitting still were compelled to purchase T-shirts from the All Vegan booth to cut the chill.

Heidi from San Diego kept warm by generating some of her own natural power.

Palm Sunday

This orangutan at the San Diego Zoo is hiding behind a palm frond. Can you see her? She doesn’t think you can. She’s being very coy. It was so amusing to see her climb up and hold the palm frond in front of her like a fan. She was posing, trying different angles.

Flowering horsechestnuts

Whew! This one almost got away! I noticed last week that the horse chestnut tree in our neighborhood was flowering.

I made it a point to get out today to photograph it and some of the flowers were turning brown. The perfume of the flowers was tipping a little to the point of over-ripe perfumey, like a sweet old great aunt who’s kept the windows closed all winter. You love to visit and the smell is pleasant enough, one of those that will probably imprint on your memory.

I brake for . . .

My diesel VW New Beetle is running just fine. There’s probably a funny bumper sticker out there for the contemporary model. “New and improved clown capacity!” For my green beetle and vegan lifestyle: “Give peas a chance!”

This was a pretty nice looking old beetle in our neighborhood. Still, the bumper sticker is a knee-slapper. “I brake for . . . Oh shit, no brakes!”

Hooray for Hollywood and Hospice

On Saturday night, San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care held their annual Staff and Volunteer Appreciation Night at the Marriot in Mission Valley in the grand ballroom. The theme was “hooray for hollywood” with a big band, classic movies on big screens, and tables named for various films and stars. This is my second year attending and also the second year that they combined the staff and volunteer events. The evening began with cocktails by the pool side. I chatted with “Patti” and her husband, also a volunteer, and they shared their experiences over the six years that they have been volunteering with Home visits and with the Foundation Art program. That sounds like something I’d like to pursue. You can visit San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care’s website and under the section for Volunteers, download a list of Organizational Volunteer Opportunities.

It is astounding how this organization has grown in thirty years. I estimate that there were over 500 staff, volunteers, and guests in attendance. They honored the milestones of 3-, 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year volunteerers and staff. I was really humbled by the presenation and stories shared by Dr. Doris Howell, a 30-year honoree. She was approached by Joan Kroc and together, to over-simplify her efforts and commitment, they started the county’s first hospice program. She is the embodiment of their mission: To prevent and relieve suffering and promote quality of life, at every stage of life, through patient and family care, education, research and advocacy.

I visited my hospice patient and family this past Tuesday. I always come away feeling so relaxed and peaceful. It must be my meditation to be able to sit quietly with a person and just be. I’m glad that SDHPC is there for the community.